Page 4 of Fire and Ice

"Copy that," Maia replied. Figures. So it was going to be a waiting game. "Danner, ETA on response team?"

"Ten minutes."

"Fuck! RPG!" Lucas yelled through comms.

Suddenly an explosion rocked the outside wall. They were taking out their snipers.

"Breach!" Manning yelled.

"Lucas! Chavez! Report!"

Nothing.

Shit.

"Manning, Edmunds, fall back from the windows!"

Maia had barely gotten the words out when another explosion shattered the front door and blew out the windows and bars. Plaster rained down and a few deadly iron bars pierced the hardwood floors. Manning and Danner were unfazed and took up defensive positions further into the house. Maia scrambled towards the panic room and punched in the code. Opening the vault-like portal and without saying a word, she yanked Brett out and dragged him behind the sofa.

"Stay down!" she ordered.

"They're moving in. Brace!" Chavez yelled through comms.

"Are you okay?" Maia asked.

"Lucas is unconscious. I'm okay but I think my leg is broken."

Two canisters were thrown into the room amidst a hail of gunfire. Tear gas.Well, we're ready for that, Maia smiled grimly.

"What do we do now? Why did you take me from the panic room?" Brett whispered.

Maia spun Brett around and fitted him with a respirator before putting one on herself.

Another explosion shook the house taking out the panic room.

"That's why," Maia said, matter-of-factly, as if panic rooms blown up by RPGs were an everyday occurrence.

Brett curled up, hugging his knees with his elbows and burying his head in his hands. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck," he repeated over and over.

A dark shadow fell across them as a merc dressed in all-black commando fatigues came running through the hole torn open by the blast in the panic room.Maia fired her weapon, the figure staggered back but did not go down. Damn robots! Maia launched herself and wrapped her legs around the merc's neck and twisted, immediately hearing the killing snap before landing in a lunge position. Another hostile appeared, this time it was one of Vergara's foot soldiers. Maia spun a roundhouse sweep to the back of the man'slegs and took him down. Immediately kneeling on her left leg, right leg cocked in front, she plugged him a double-tap with her automatic pistol.

Maia spied Brett darting towards the kitchen.

Damn it, Brett.

She tore after him at the same time noticing movement coming from the panic room again. She instinctively ducked and dodged right, but was stopped short by a burning sensation in her leg. She'd been shot.

Spinning and landing on her back, Maia saw her shooter and took steady aim at the area between her enemy's neckline and squeezed the trigger. He went down on his knees before tilting forward, dead.

Meanwhile, Brett was backing out of the kitchen, arms raised, a red laser dot of an assault rifle trained on his chest. Maia quickly assessed the situation. Danner was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with another merc, and Manning and Edmunds were still shooting it out in front.

Maia tackled Brett sideways and felt a jarring jolt to her shoulder caused by the impact of a bullet.

Before landing on Brett, she was able to draw her throwing knife. The laser was trained on her head and she sprang to her haunches and threw the knife aiming for the merc's jugular.

The rifle fired again.

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